Jean McConnell's selection of short plays, has presented the players with a new challenge.  Rather than a continuous text, the playwright offers five unrelated stories, each varying in tone and content.  A series of duologues, tonight’s presentation demanded a unique and intimate rehearsal process.  It combines different elements exploring the relationships between the women and finds friendship, betrayal, competition and lost love.  We hope to make you laugh and make you cry. We have puppetry, frisky foremen, bitter disappointment and seagulls!

 Having a cast of ten women has provided an opportunity to showcase the wealth of female talent in the group. We are grateful to Kath for returning to make an appearance with the group and welcome Sally in her first appearance with us.

Jean McConnell, the authoress

Deckchairs was written at the request of two of Jean McConnell’s friends to allow them to play a range of different characters in a series of playlets. Since then, two further series of stories about two women sitting in a deckchair have been written and have been performed all over the world.

Jean has written for films, television radio & women's magazines.    Deckchairs has been her most popular work and as an actor herself, she credits this by saying ‘I'm best at theatre writing because that is what I do.  Much of the dialogue comes from Jeans observations of life  & stories that she hears or things that she has experienced.  Something to ponder on as you watch these delightful plays unfold.

 Deckchairs has subsequently been extended by several further collections of playlets similar in style.  Jean now directs her own work at her local amateur theatre company in Tonbridge Wells to “try them out to make sure that they work.”  As an actor herself she feels that she is best at theatre writing because  ‘that's what I do.’